August 04, 2007

What on earth are they doing?

The next time somebody accuses the Democrats of being poll-driven, refer the accuser to this shameful capitulation. Despite Bush's poll numbers being down in territory Richard Nixon would recognize, the Senate caved in to his demands and gave him the revisions he wanted to FISA, the wiretapping law.

The legislation, which is expected to go before the House today, would expand the government's authority to intercept without a court order the phone calls and e-mails of people in the United States who are communicating with people overseas.

As currently written, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act already gives U.S. spies broad leeway to monitor the communications of foreign terrorism suspects, but the 30-year-old statute requires a warrant to monitor calls intercepted in the United States, regardless of where the calls begin or end.

"Oh, it's temporary! We'll revisit it in six months," Harry Reid and other members of the Democratic leadership cry. And what will have changed in six months? Will you clowns suddenly grow a spine?

You know that call I had trouble making to Australia last week? With this law in place, it could have been monitored by Bush and his minions without any oversight. Why would the call have been monitored? Because the NSA wanted to. It wouldn't have to show any kind of probable cause that my call should be monitored.

When will the Democrats stand up to this man?

Update: Roll Call vote here. One of my Democratic Senators voted in favor; I've already expressed my unhappiness to him. I urge you to do the same (and if you don't have your Congressmembers' names and addresses in your mail program's address book, now's the time to add them).

Update 2: The House approved it too. Way to go, legislators. You have handed over full authority to an out-of-control President and Vice-President.

And to cede power over this program to Alberto Gonzales? The same man you've been ridiculing and calling a liar for weeks?